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Monday, April 17, 2017

MARIPOSA COURTHOUSE by Zina Abbott

Mariposa
County was formed in September 1850, even before California became the 31st
State of the Union. Mariposa
was one of the original counties when the state of California became a state shortly later in
1850.

Mono County and the region known as Big Meadows east of the Sierra Nevada
Mountains where my Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 is set was originally part of
Mariposa County, as well as where I live in the San Joaquin Valley. territory that was
once part of Mariposa was ceded over time to form twelve other counties: Fresno,
Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Merced, Mono, San Benito, San
Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, and Tulare. Thus, Mariposa County is not only the
county of the Mother Lode gold mining region in the south, is known as the
"Mother of Counties".

The original county seat was founded as a mining
camp on the banks of a seasonal stream known as Aqua Fria located about 6.0
miles (9.7 km) to the west of present-day Mariposa. After a flood during the winter of 1849/50, and fires, the town was
moved to the location of today's Mariposa, although mainly due to better
terrain and the presence of Mariposa creek, a large producer of placer gold. In 1851 the
"new" town of Mariposa became the county seat.

By
1854, Mariposa had a grand courthouse which is still in operation. The structure
was erected using
whip-sawed wood from nearby forests. Two sawmills, Humphrey & Geiger at Log
Town and the Clark Mill on Bear Creek supplied the lumber. It has been argued
which one actually supplied the lumber, but both were probably used.

Early Mariposa, Californa-Courthhouse is in upper right corner.

At the meeting of the Board
of Supervisors on February 12, 1855 the building was accepted with a total cost
of $9,200. The only problem was that the county still did not have enough funds
to pay for the building. So the newly elected Board of Supervisors, which
replaced the Court of Sessions as the governing body of Mariposa County,
authorized the Treasurer to pay Fox & Shiver what funds that were held in
the building fund and to make payments until 1858 when the building was paid
for. Fox & Shiver took the county to court on July 23 rd, 1858 for final
payments of interest owed.

The courthouse grounds occupy an entire block. The
courthouse is so recognizable that its likeness is on the Mariposa County Seal.
Also particularly noteworthy is the courthouse's clock tower and bell, which
chimes every hour, on the hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The
Mariposa County Courthouse is the oldest superior courthouse west of the
Mississippi and the oldest courthouse in continuous use west of the Rockies. The
Court has conducted normal proceedings continuously in this courthouse ever
since, the longest active period for any courthouse west of the Rocky
Mountains.

This
from the Fresno Bee, August 11, 1925

Mariposa-(Mariposa
County) Aug. 11- After seventy-one years the old Mariposa County Courthouse has
been fitted with water pipes. No more will court be recessed while judge
and jury descend stairs and cross the street to quench a Midsummer thirst.

Incidentally the improvements afford the first fire protection to the building
since its erection in 1854, and progressive residents are in hopes that
shrubbery and lawns will soon adorn the spacious courthouse grounds.

The Mariposa courthouse began recording cattle brands early on. Cattle
brands belonging to Mariposa ranches are displayed inside the Mariposa courthouse.
The brand for my husband’s father who ranched in Mariposa is among them.

2 comments:

I'm enjoying your on-going articles about your area of California and Mariposa County. I found this tidbit of particular interest: "...progressive residents are in hopes that shrubbery and lawns will soon adorn the spacious courthouse grounds." It would have been a challenging undertaking to maintain shrubbery and lawns before garden hoses, sprinklers, and outdoor faucets came along. I remember my grandpa had a system of pipes and pumps to get water from his pond to his holding tank in his garden. He didn't have a lawn because it was too hard to get water to it.

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